Apparatus for drying starch, &amp;c.



PATENTED MAR, 20, 1906.

I No. 815,373.

5. E. PERKINS. APPARATUSFOR DRYING STAROH, m.

APPLICATION FILED D1509, 190-1 w. ML .IO, J m i Ni F PATENT- orrron APPARATUS; FOR DRYING sZi' AFlCHi 84.0.

No. sisters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Yatented March 20, 1 90-3 Application filed December 9. 1904- Serial No 236,133.

all when it 'mrty concern.- c it known that I, ELMER E. Pnnnrxs, a

State of Massachusetts, have invented an lmprove nent in. A )paratus for Drying Starch,

duo. of which t e following description, in

connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invent-ion has for its object the pro duction of novel drying apparatus for the economical, rapid, and efficient removal of contained moisture from organic material, so that the same is dried to the desired extent in much less time then is now rec uisite.

My inventi" s particularly adapted for use in the mom actors of starch, (to mention one instance of its particular utility,) wherein it is desirable that the material may be rapidly dried to the desired extent, but without cur ing or discoloration and without improper agitation when the drying operation has rendered the material light in weight. It

. is also equally well adapted for drying brewers' grain, fertilizer, or similar inateriah in' accordance with my invention theme-- terial to be treated is made to traverse by suitable conveying means a long closed drying chambcr, in which it is subjected to the action of a current of hot dry air, whereby moisture is extracted from the material, the moisturoladen air passing out of the chamher to be cooled. Such cooling condenses its contained moisture. and the cooled air so d ri'ed-is returned to a heater, from which it is 'i'orccd in a strong blast or current into the g-charnber, the heater being so separated therefrom and the blast being so dii'ected that the material cannot beoverdried or burned by too rapid action of the heat nor lown about when it becomes drier or lighter in weight. The material is fed into the chamber at one end, and at that end the air is forced in, acting on the heavy raw or green niet'erial. meaning thcrebyin the condition in which it is introduced to the chamber. As the material becomes lighter by loss of moisture it' is subjected less and less to the direct action of the air blast or current and is finally discharged at the opposite end of the chamher.

i prefer to cause the material to traverse the chamber s that it may there n, one

plurality of times in order by making the conveyingineans be properly act-ed upon while' in-sevcral parts or sections the material is turned over and agitated as it passes from the upper run of one section to the upper run of the section next below it.

While my novel drying apparatus is particularly adapted for drying starch, brewers grain, and fertilizer, it is not in any sense restricted thereto, as it may be used to great advantage in drying various other materials.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drying apparatus embodying one form of my invention, taken on the line 1 1, Fig. 2. *Fig'. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section thereof below the line 2 2, Fig. l.

l have herein shown the drying apparatus as comprising an elongated relatively narrow closed chamber A, constructed of suitable material and preferably made to conduct heat poorlyas, for instance, by making its walls double with an iuclosed air-space, so that as little heat as possible may be lost by radiation, the chamber having a long outlet a in one side wall near the top of the chamber. (See Fig. 2.) The tight floor A of the chamher is inclined in the direction of its length, sloping toward the discharge end, and be neath the floor a heater, shown as a boxlilze compartment H, Fig. 1, and having therein a heating device, shown as steamcoils 71-, the coils projecting from the front end of the heater into a drum D. This drum is conveniently made of sheet-iron, and its side walls are alined with the sides of the chamher or housing A, the end wall d of the drum being curved upward from the bottom of the compartment H to the end wall A of the chamber. A circular opening a is made in the wall A at the upper part of the drum, and in this opening is mounted a suitable fan F, Figs. 1 andZ, the drum acting as a curved flue or conduit connecting the front end of the heater with the adjacent end of the chambcrA. I prefer to make the area of the open ing a substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the heater H to get a full steady The fan is rotated at speed in current of air. any convenlent manner, electrically or mechanically, and is arranged to drawair from the heater and force it in a blast or strong current in a substantially horizontal direc- -tion into the chamber from the front end thereof.,

Lil

(ll I 122115 of the cylinders Outside in" the chamber and adjacent it si e Wail, having iahe outlet (0, is an upright, iongg, and relatively narrow cold cempertnient C, {Fee Fig 2,) eoinniuiiieeting by the euiiet e, the cnamber end at its bottem cemh the heater at its side, n e11 7L or the heater crossing be- '1 the eompa tment (1, below W11 as a series of eeiis or pipzhrougn which enysuitebie coming er ing C refrigeretl mm is passed to refiuee the temperetur :ne compartment to he desired 'eoinm At the ii feed-hopper A 18 el V enember above "be eeiw fig described, the mQ 'ermi being I Hopper-by any suiabie mean i part of my invention end a s1 itb e charge-opening A is provided the eepesxte or rear end of the chamber a d eeve curtain or ether suitabie desire 01" vent ouigside air en eririg ti e 'e'iei'ier' and reducing to very quantity the escape 12? air frem the eke feel:

Within the Qhwl'flbl? .L nave er veying meeris to race the feed end, i i" threu 'iz ed 1 p it it belts, the Dari-velar of m conveye dep ending upon in i the materiel to b supperted and n "Wei Tnese eonveye'rs 01" converse (i enefibeve the extend substantially frem side wail of the shame being loee'teci fee rows shew the .direetien 0i per runs of the several COHVEYQT'SET Fig. 1, a slight inclination being given the sect-i s C and C, ti meterieiv 11 travel in i1 zigze 'eourse as it a: traverses the ehember.

eee il seetieii is susteine i and operated like its fellows, only one need be deserihed in detail. The fiexieie carrier 01" eonveyez' is supported at its ends- 021 suitable cylinders c a, one of which is pose tiveiy driven, the other running idie, the jeurbeing sustairiei: by suitheer'ings 0n the side walls of Hit 011mm her. The 3m3rnei of tie driving:- e '11 extend throif {h one side We attached 211116; or sheave e belt (net shewn) by Whi h i y from. any suitable of 3mm 1' .ated the severe (liViE'l an 4 2 e iii'omaticeiiy e t 1 1' pro'virle i the Heel,

. the Fewer run is sugi porte-li on ii iiefis c maintain the conveyer preprigiiiehend end oi the (011- Eig. i, is exie-ndefi beyond 16 end of {he see/Lien C above it, so neriel en the iebter passes over i. s v r it will n Ohio the upper run e1 3 ion and be cn rehy carried-ba l: through ilie chamber fiewsriii its from; ene, Whenee ops o .5 3 ti i1 7" The i9 iiavrge end. 0f iihfi ehe mber. if the topmost sect-ion C "eiow and qui lower edge eezweyers be the i ic ii y trueeiizrie "in.

v V i I .i s mersiyzm iiiusa t ueviee fer perroi'mn rrini in the drawings, 1 have shown at ht-n rid end. ef the eenveyer-setion 1 G which may be termed breaker r011, i's object being to emsfi or break up unduiy large lumps of meter-5e which maybe fed ante the eoreveyer. By breaking up such ierge iumps into smaller pieces the ext-met' of moisture therefrom is greatly facilitated. 'F iovrne? of this breaker-r031 may i so that a yieiding manner,

:nps are encountered.

or give somewimt if very ren of "the apparatus the air.

5, not and (1?? is drawn the drum 1) by the-fan F 21' t" into the are at er rent of air thus introduced sweeps along the chamber in the direction of its length, passing up, around, and through the material on. the upper run of the conveyor-section C, as shown by dotted arrows, Fig. l. The hot rapidly takes up moisture from the 3 and. such moisture ladened air passes through outlet ct in the side wall of the chamber intothecold coim'mrtinent C and is curled. therein. ;As the temperature of the air is reeuced its contained moisture is concensee by he refrigemting action of the coils therein, the condensate being removed iorinedlby means of suitable drip-troughs 1. (Shown in Fig. 2.) The cool and dry air de- SGGIldS. and is sueliied into thehot ment' H through the opening 1 1*, and as it traverses said. compartment it is again heated by the heating-coils 7i therein, so that the hot dry air is again introdrmed by the tan into the cha i'iber, the air thus being used over and over again, "with alternate heating and cooling. I By this arrangement and operation the material is always subjected to the action of heated dry air, and the moisture taken up thorn-or hour the nutcriul is promptly condenscu and remover, nnrlr" g the operation of the impuraius rapid, efficient, and highly eeonornie9 My .i'm'en ti o eompart-- is not r stricted to the prctrrangement herein construction and 2 shown and described, as the sumo may be areal or modd in dillerent particulars ed l n ti e art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. 7 ribcd my invention, what desire to secure by Let- -i :tlilit, 1s--- l. in "1 (ontinrows-notion drying apparatus. an elongated closed chamber having an outlet near its top, an endless lrurcling conveyer below the outlet to sustain within and mm e lo ngit udinally through the cha mberthe material to be treated, a hunter exterior to e cuzimber, means to draw dr air from l 9;, nlal blustiinto the chumbe at or near the local end all iron; the material thereon and pass through the o tint, and menus to continuously condense the moon ure in and cool the air pussing therntl lug-' 1., the dry cold an" being returned misusingwouiportment inent,

healer w c heater und force it in a substantially hori the convcyor, to take up moisture l l l l l l into and through the heater and to force it in asubstantially horizmltal blast into the :hamber mljacenl the l'eed end ol the conveying means, to take up moisture from the material thereon and pass through the outlet into the condensing -ompartment, wherein the contained moisture is condensed to dry the air prior to its roentrance to the heater.

3. in a continuousaclion drying upparatus, an elongated closed chamber having an outlet near its top, a traveling conveyor bclowthe outlet to susla in within the chamber the .nmterial to be lIldlfKl and to carry it back and l orl'h in the chamber und discharge it at the end opposite that in which it is led, and means to alternately heat and cool, extornally to the clnunbor, a continuous current ol air directed upon the material at the incoming air taking up moist ure from the material and passing through the outlet to be cooled. such cooling comlensing the contained nmisture prior to reheating ol the air and its reintroduction to the chamber, the action ol' the aircurrent upon the material diminishing us the latte approaches the disclmrgo on ol the chamber.

'7". In a continueus-action drying apparl tus, an elongated closed chamber having an outlet near its top, it con(lensing-compartment communicating with the outlet, a heater out-side the chamb and conuectlul with the corulensing-compurtment, u plurality ol. endless traveling eonveym's within the rhzunber one below the other, lo convey material lluough the chamber, the material being discharged iron an upper conveyor to the one next below it and thereby caused to lri'aycrse the chamber several times belore its discharge, and a fun her lo direct the hot, dry air l'rom the h atcr upon the material on the conveyors, to tuko up moisture l'rom such material and then zit one end of the chunk,

pass through the outlet to be cooled and thrprior to rczur m the heater and chamber.

in an apparatus ol' the class described,

an elongulcd, closed chamber having a long outlet near its top, an cxtcrnalcold compartment comnindicating" with the outlet and having a condrn'iser therein, an endless traveling conveyor in the chuniber below and ex- Wilding the length ol the outlet, a hot compartment beneath the chamber and provided with heating-coils, the inlet ol said com partment communicating with the cold compartment below the condenser, and moms to draw hot dry air iron] the hot compartment ind wutinuously force it into lhe chambe at he end of the convrycr, lo act upon the m9.- .erial thereto: and pass thence through the ong outlet lo the cold compartment, the :ondcnscr therein corulensing the contained noislure in the air, the

oiied and cooled air elongated, closed. chamber hevingsu out thereafter returning to the hot ooinpertnent to be nu iorced into the chamber.

, M. 1 app-status 01 the class rlescriheu, in

near its top, u trziveling oonve'yer to c 9 material through the chamber, a condensingcompu-rtnient at the side of the chamber, and communicating therewith through the outlet, heater extended longitudinally henea th the chamber, and connecterlwith the bottom of the said compartment, a conduit oonnecting the outlet of the heater with the adjacent and Wall of the chamber, and mien in t vie oon Fruit, to draw dry, cold air from the condeusingwmnpsrtrnent through the heater Al direct the hot, dry air in a, substantially hori zontal blast into and lengthwise of the chemoer to take up moisture from the inovin msrisl on the endless conveyer, the moisture radon sir passing thence upward through the ntiet to the condensing-compsrtrnent to foe tin used.

7. In apparatus or" the class described, it closed chamber having an outlet n'eur its top, means to continuously move materiel to he treated though the chamber "from one to the other end thereof, means to hea t rapidly" at current of air, means to circulate the seine through the chamber to act upon the me eri rl to he dried, the heating niem'is he. zetl outside the chamber, means to or and dry the air acting upon such luster air cooling and drying mes-us communiv ,1 1 o. i c ..1 r ring with one chsinoer through the outlet, the hot dry e11 taking up moisture irom. the material and passing through the outlet to be tooled and thereby have its eontsineu moisture condensed prior to reheating of such 8. in a continuous-drying epp otus, elongated, closed chamher'hsving all outlet near s top and a. floor inclined in the direction of the length of the ehsmher, a beneath the floor, a cold compartment vlute the chamber and communicating th A h; the outlet and also eouin i311,

with the heater at a distance from said outle l means to draw hot, dry as from tl'ie zinc )106 it into one of the chamber, to

u;- rnoisture from the histerisl and through the outlet to the 1 n cooling of e air therein conrlen its center real moisture, the cooled, nir return lug; t0 the heater to he? neetou, splurality of endless conveyers srrsnged above othe in moving lengthwise of 5 the chamber in opposite directions, to is port the material on their up erruns traverse it heel nd forth in h from the feed. to is (liso and means to sutomutieelly" rush the writet'ailing onto the floor to the disch oi the chamber.

9. in 21- eon nuous-drving eio teti, closed churn 1 list near i ts m g heater ex. 231; M 5

rhesus located at one slid. of the drew heated y from the culate it through the cltreinoer to the material to dried, end l 3 its onzzosite sou eornm ouve Oi or .ing through the outlet, cooling merit in to which the outlet opens, to cool t on and condense the moist re therein, said "l 9931 TOYBTS on their up; lb hack and forth throng material being turn f; ove rlroos from e low it, 

